


Safe

by GeorgeMackays_TightyWhities



Category: 1917 (Movie 2019)
Genre: Age Regression, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Crying, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Stress Relief, Thumb-sucking, Will is Baby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:48:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24247540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GeorgeMackays_TightyWhities/pseuds/GeorgeMackays_TightyWhities
Summary: Will's stress gets the better of him. Tom sees a side of him that has never been revealed.
Relationships: Tom Blake & William Schofield
Comments: 1
Kudos: 16





	Safe

**Author's Note:**

> you all must know that the reason i wrote this fic is because i saw a pic of George MacKay sucking his thumb and it genuinely awakened something in me. My babyy <3

Tom first noticed Will’s thumb sucking a few months into their relationship. If he was honest, it  _ was  _ weird. He was spending the night at Will’s flat, and the older man absentmindedly slipped his thumb into his mouth while they watched films on the sofa. Tom didn’t mention it that night. He simply kissed Will’s cheek and carried on as usual with the movie. After the first time, Tom thought it was an isolated event. He didn’t see Will sucking his thumb again for almost a year. 

As their relationship grew, the two decided to move in with each other. They settled a lease on a one bedroom flat near the local university, where Tom studied undergrad, and Will worked toward a master’s degree. 

Tom was a social butterfly on campus. He always had a party to go to, or study groups to meet with. Will didn’t mind; he trusted Tom. Will was more reserved. His college partying days were in the past, and now that he had bigger goals, he spent most of his time studying or working part-time. With Will in his final year of graduate school, the pressure was starting to accumulate. He had to get this degree if he wanted to get a decent job. 

Times this stressful often reminded Will of his years as a young child, watching his parents argue, and eventually divorce, leaving him in the hands of his abusive father. He barely had  _ any  _ coping skills, to be honest. He had gone through a self-harm phase late in secondary school, and he binge drank in the first two years at undergrad. The only constant in Will's life was remembering a time when he felt safe. 

_ Remember the pleasant times _ , Will would remind himself. He dissociated from the present and relaxed in the memories of his early childhood. 

Flashes of memories would sometimes come to him. Often so vivid, he often felt as though he was truly living in another time. Will, over the course of the past few weeks, had found himself floating backwards in time again and again. 

For some reason, drifting back to a younger age just made him feel so much better. Nurturing the hurt child within him felt like lifting a boulder off of his chest. In the past, he had even considered giving into his urge to purchase some supplies for himself: a teddy bear and a dummy, maybe, but he decided it was probably too weird. Instead, he sucked his thumb while he regressed in age.

* * *

Tom noticed Will sucking his thumb again on a Sunday night. It was late and the two lay in bed, preparing for finals week, which started the following day. Dim light from a bedside lamp cast a warm yellow glow upon the book that rested in Tom’s hands. Will had attempted to study for the next day’s exams, but he simply couldn’t continue without having a full breakdown. Instead, he rested next to Tom, and calmed his nerves by daydreaming about his childhood. 

Subconsciously, Will’s thumb grazed upon his top lip. He sighed, and hesitantly slipped his thumb between his lips. Enjoying the reassuring feeling, Will’s eyes fluttered shut.

Tom noticed that Will had fallen silent. His eyes shifted from his textbook to his half-asleep boyfriend, who was blissfully sucking his thumb. 

“Baby,” Tom whispered sweetly, “are you okay?”

Will whined quietly and shook his head. His eyes remained closed, and his thumb remained in his mouth. “Can’t do school,” the man muttered quietly around his thumb. “Can’t do it.”

“This is about finals, Will? You’re gonna do great, okay?” Tom attempted to soothe his boyfriend. He didn’t know how to respond to this situation at all. “Can you open your eyes, Will? Can you look at me?”

Will shook his head. In his mind, he was safe, and if he opened his eyes, he may never feel that comfort again.

“Please, Will?” Tom brushed his hand against Will’s cheek where a tear lingered freshly fallen. How could Tom not realize that Will had been crying? “For me?”

Will hesitantly opened his eyes, blinking away the tears that clouded his vision. Opening his eyes felt like being ripped away from the warm glow of security he had been feeling. He removed his thumb from his mouth. “Sorry Tom,” Will sighed. “I don’t know what’s going on with me.”

Tom shifted his body so that he was facing his partner. “Don’t apologize. We’ll figure this out together.”

“I think I’m broken,” Will sobbed. “I just want to feel safe, Tom. What the hell’s wrong with me?”

“You’re safe, Will,” Tom wrapped his arms around his boyfriend. “You’re not broken. Whatever you need to do, I’m here, okay? Nothing will change that.”

Will nodded, and wiped a tear from his face, pushing up against Tom’s chest. The brunet planted a kiss on Will’s head and guided his thumb back toward his mouth. He didn’t quite understand yet, but he knew it made Will feel better. Will reluctantly accepted the gesture with a sigh. 

“I love you, Tommy,” Will slurred. “Please don’t let go yet.”

“I love you, too, Will,” Tom whispered.

Tom held Will for the rest of the night. Will relaxed into Tom’s soft body, and fell asleep, cherishing his boyfriend’s warmth, and sucking his thumb. 

Will smiled in his sleep. He was finally comfortable, and relieved that he didn’t have to hide this side of himself.

Tom couldn’t help but notice how pretty Will looked. His eyes were still puffy from crying, and his lips were rosy. His cheeks were flushed, casting a light pink glow across his face. His large hands were smooth, one resting on Tom’s upper body, and one pressed against his face as he sucked his thumb. His chest was muscular, but soft, and Tom was mesmerized by every rise and fall that came with Will’s gentle breaths. Tom ran his fingers through Will’s silky auburn hair. He could get used to holding Will like this. 

  



End file.
